Those Left Behind
by kyuk3tsuk1
Summary: An alternate ending to the series. The actual ending being the comics set after the series
1. The Return

Everyone knows that Angel ended its series with a cliff hanger (the beginning of an epic battle). And that's where the comics come into play. This is a story of what could have happened if that entire episode turned out different. Wesley didn't die, Lorne didn't leave, etc.

_**Flashback (3 years ago)**_

"Don't do it. You don't have to do it."

"It's my destiny. It's the only way I can have my redemption…"

"It's NOT destiny! It's you giving p on your mission!"

"Connor," Angel said as he looks at his friends desperately fighting a demon horde, "Take care of them." Angel willingly jumps into the abyssal portal. A blinding light appears and everyone is stunned by the fact that the entire horde just disappeared…

_**Current Day**_

In the newly rebuilt Hyperion Hotel, Spike was having his routine training exercise with Illyria. "Bloody hell, did you have to hit me _there?!_" Spike said as he falls to the ground in agony.

"He's a real masochist isn't he?" Connor asked.

"Seems like Illyria is just a sadist" Gunn replied.

"They make the perfect pair" Connor said as he walks away. Since Angel's enormous sacrifice as one last act of heroism, Connor has been leading Angel Investigations. He has little experience in dealing with others which complicated things in a large scale battle. Eventually he learned to cooperate with them, especially Spike who sees Connor as "What Angel could have been."

Aside from running Angel Investigations, the team decided it would be best to open up the hotel as a source of extra funds. One of their customers, Alyza, has been staying at the hotel for 9 months now. She describes it as her means of "getting away from the family." Eventually, this family of hers aroused Connor's suspicion on her family. One day, Connor asked her why her family issues haven't been resolved after all this time. "It's complicated." Alyza said. Connor decided to tell her about Angel Investigations which, to his surprise, she never heard off. Upon hearing the details, Alyza decided to hire their services.

"My family isn't like others." Alyza said.

"They're not human?" Gunn asked

"They were, until that thing came. My father thought it was an Angel sent to help us in our time of crisis." Alyza replied

"_Thing…?_"Connor asked

"It was this man. Good looking one too. We were in a desperate time back then; we were losing all we had, our home, our money, everything. Because of this, my father believed when the man said he was a generous benefactor willing to help them. He invited him in. After that, his face…"

"Distorted into a demonic figure?" Wesley asked.

"Yes, how did you…" Alyza attempts to ask but is interrupted again by Wesley who tells her "It's what we do."

"Anyway, go on." Connor said.

"Well, yeah. His face turned more… _demonic_. He had fangs and bit my father, then later my mother and sister. I was saved by this blonde lady. She was unimaginably strong. I couldn't believe it when she carried me on her back and jumped from the third floor down."

As Alyza clarifies more details on what happened, Wesley begins to suspect that her blonde savior is actually Buffy. He leaves the room immediately and decides to gather his spell books as if preparing for a battle. Connor was about to tell Alyza that they were willing to take the case until she told them, "I couldn't believe he was a demon. His face was so… Angel-like." As she said these words, the entire team was stunned.

"Did you say, _Angel_?" Gunn asked

"Yes. Is there something wrong?" Alyza replied.

"We'll take the job. Do you know where your family could be hiding?" Connor asked

"At our house, I'll show you the way." Alyza answered.

"You mean they _never_ left after all this time?" Connor asked

"The blonde girl mentioned something about her friend putting a spell on the house so they could never leave it." Alyza answered.

Upon hearing this, Wesley was convinced that her savior was Buffy and, most likely, Willow. As Connor agrees to do the job, Gunn points out that the demon who attacked them could be Angel. Connor refuses to believe it and claims that "many vampires have an _angelic face_."

As they stand outside the girl's house, they can see her vicious family staring outside the window. Connor rushes inside and grabs one of them by the throat.

"WHO SIRED YOU?!" Connor asked violently. There was no reply and Connor dusts the vampire. He grabs another one and asks same thing. The only answer that they could give was "He had such angelic features". Connor, out of rage, kills the remaining vampires. He then tells Wesley to remove the magic barrier around the house. As they leave, Connor separates from the rest of the group. He is found by Gunn at a local church a few miles from the hotel.

"How'd you find me?" Connor asked.

"It wasn't that hard. I just asked myself, 'Where would a troubled soul with no one to turn to go when his inner demons are acting up?'" Gunn replies.

"It's not about _my_ demons. It's about _his_."

"You really think _he_ did this? We all saw what happened back then. He went out a hero."

"_WE_ didn't see anything but a blinding light. And there's a reason they called him _Angelus_."


	2. Goodbye, Fred

**Goodbye, Fred**

"This has got to be the most evil thing I have ever seen in my life… And I grew up in a hell dimension." Connor said in fear.

"It's ok, Connor. We'll get through this…" Wesley said in a worried tone.

"Yeah… I mean… We can do this… Right?" Gunn asked.

"Like hell we will. It's the bloody end of the world." Spike said.

"Apocalypse, here we come." Lorne said in return.

A loud screech is heard and the team prepares for a battle with Illyria in her true form.

_**Hours earlier…**_

Connor is awakened by the sound of Spike in another training session with Illyria. He goes down to the basement to check up on them and is nearly be-headed by a large axe.

"Oh, its you. You may not want to be here right now. Or does that axe thing happen to you everyday?" Spike said as he was sparring with Illyria.

"Try not to destroy the basement." Connor said as he was leaving the room.

In the kitchen, Connor finds Gunn eating his breakfast with Wesley. He plans to join them until Lorne comes in and tells he had a vision. He wrote down an address to go to and the team quickly leaves and moments later, find themselves in front of a very large crypt in the middle of the cemetery.

"So this is the place then?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, that is definitely what I saw in my migraine." Lorne replied.

"Let's get to work." Connor said

As they enter the crypt, Illyria suddenly falls to the ground but is caught by Spike. "I'm fine. Let's just move on." Illyria said with a tired voice. As they went deeper in the crypt, they find a demon shaman who was nearly beaten to death. Spike is awed at the site more than anyone else simply because he has seen and personally experienced firsthand the power of a demon shaman.

"Who could have done this?" Gunn asked.

"Whoever it was, it's gonna kick our bloody asses." Spike replied.

"Sono qui… e seguirà…" The demon shaman says as he points at Illyria and later dies.

"Wesley, can you make out what he said?" Connor asked.

"It's Italian, shouldn't be that hard. I'm just glad it wasn't some dead demon language." Wesley replied.

"Right then, I think we're done here. Everyone get some rest and regroup at the hotel tomorrow." Connor said.

The next day, Illyria is found to be missing. Connor and Gunn look for her as Spike helps Wesley to translate what the demon said and figure out what it had to do with Illyria. Soon enough, they made a rough translation; "They are coming and she will follow." Before they can call Connor, Illyria attacks both of them from behind essentially knocking them unconscious. Upon their return, Connor and Gunn discover Wesley and Spike lying on the floor. As they began to regain their consciousness, they begin to explain what the demon said.

"If she's really gone back to her old demonic ways, why didn't she kill you two?" Gunn asked

"Because some part of Fred is still lying within Illyria. And that part of her needs help." Wesley answered.

"So you're telling me that knocking us unconscious is Fred's way of saying 'Help me!'?" Spike asked

"Essentially…" Wesley replied.

"We have to find her before this Old One does." Connor said.

"Well, I can take the sewers." Spike said.

"Gunn, go with Spike. You search where he can't. Wesley, Lorne, stay here and look for any sort of spell that we can use against an all powerful being. I'll patrol the city."

As they search for Illyria, Wesley and Lorne discover that there have been numerous attacks on vampires and other demons lately and their bodies have been ripped open and drained of blood violently. "So whoever this Old One is, he needs demon blood, but why?" Lorne asked. Wesley looks up some old books regarding ancient demon magic and realizes that the only spell that would require this much demon blood is an unnamed spell that will revert Illyria back to her original demon form. "This guy wants the Old Ones to rule over humanity again." Lorne said is shock. The two quickly leave to find Connor. As they leave the hotel, they notice the sky is completely blackened.

"What time is it?" Wesley asked.

"Half past noon." Lorne said in shock.

"Who turned of the sun?" Spike asked as he climbed out of a manhole with Gunn.

"RUN!!!" Connor screams as he is seen trying to run from something.

"Oh, my, GOD." Wesley says in utter fear.

"Not exactly…" Gunn said.

_**Present**_

"This has got to be the most evil thing I have ever seen in my life… And I grew up in a hell dimension." Connor said in fear.

"It's ok, Connor. We'll get through this…" Wesley said in a worried tone.

"Yeah… I mean… We can do this… Right?" Gunn asked.

"Like hell we will. It's the bloody end of the world." Spike said.

"Apocalypse, here we come." Lorne said in return.

A loud screech is heard and the team prepares for a battle with Illyria in her true form.

"YES. Illyria has RISEN! ALL OF HUMANITY WILL SOON SERVE THE OLD ONES AGAIN." The Old One said as he stood in front of Illyria. Though he did summon her again, Illyria almost instinctively kills the Old One while he is still vulnerable and turns her attention to Connor.

"Now you will know true power." Illyria said as she was preparing to kill Connor.

"Hey, FRED! You know that look REALLY isn't flattering you." Spike said in an arrogant voice.

"The woman you knew is gone. She has been since I took over." Illyria replied.

"Oh really? Then, why don't you kill me. C'mon! Here's some wood! DO IT! Or maybe you could get rid of the clouds and burn me up, eh." Spike said as he threw a large piece of wood in Illyria's way.

"Spike what are you…" Connor said

"Shhh… I think he's going somewhere with this." Wesley interrupted.

"You blackened the sun in the middle of the day. I'm right in front of you questioning your bloody authority and I'M STILL STANDING. Face it Illyria, a part of Fred's still in that gruesome look o yours. You just can't admit to weakness." Spike said with an arrogant tone.

After some words from Spike, Illyria is seen having conflict with herself. Regradless, she impales him with a railroad spike as a form of irony. After seeing Spike in tremendous pain, the demonic figure reverts back to Fred's body. For a few brief moments, Fred is in seen instead of Illyria.

"Spike, thank you… It's the second time you sacrificed something for me." Fred said.

"Fred…? You're… back?" Spike asked in shock.

Before Fred is able to respond, Illyria takes form again and helps Spike up. She eventually decides to leave the team, thinking she could only do harm to them. Though Spike tries to stop her, Connor lets her go seeing her as a major liability.

"So that's it then? We're just gonna let her walk? What about Fred?" Spike asked.

"I'm counting on her to contain Illyria." Connor replied.


End file.
